Carl Wilcox joins forces with his new wife Hazel to investigate a bizarre mystery after they stumble upon a corpse on the bluff overlooking their favorite fishing spot, in an entertaining mystery set in the Depression-era northern plains.

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

"Changes on the St. Croix, when you're paddling with a slow current, are so gradual you seem at times to be motionless." So proclaims Carl Wilcox, protagonist of this deceptively simple new novel by Adams (winner of a Shamus for The Man Who Was Taller than God), as he canoes down the river. "As you round a long bend, an entirely fresh view slowly opens up." Just so, the narrative of Adams's solid whodunit allows the meandering course of its Depression-era sleuth to slowly unfurl unexpected plot twists. A drifter and sign painter, Carl is honeymooning in Minnesota with his new wife, Hazel (the librarian he courted in 1998's No Badge, No Gun), when they are confronted by the deaths of two young men: a talented musician whose body the couple finds after it falls from a cliff; and a failed farmer whose apparent suicide is questioned by his wealthy, loving grandfather. Knowing Carl's reputation as a detective, the local mayor offers him a few dollars to snoop around. Then the grieving grandfather ups the ante to $2000Aa serious nest egg, given the general shortage of work and cash. So Carl and Hazel begin paddling along, talking with anyone and everyone, until they arrive at a solution to the problems at hand. Although Wilcox's bed-hopping has been slowed down by marriage, sex still plays an active role in the series. The dead musician was one of many young men who pursued a sleek blonde named Kat BaconAand Carmen Pryke, the wife of the man who killed himself, is another hot number. Period details about cars, clothes, food and social customs are, as usual, so sharp that the rambling narration and the novel's less-than-surprising conclusions don't spoil the pleasure. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Series hero Carl Wilcox and new wife Hazel tackle a murder mystery together after they discover a body near their fishing spot. A dependable, nicely plotted, Depression-era historical. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Most helpful customer reviews

In mystery writing--as in all fiction writing--when you pull apart the hardcover buns, there should be a sizeable slab of conflict inside. Sure, depending on how the author or readers like it, condiments such as plot, characterization, and blah, blah, blah, can be added to enhance taste. But conflict is the "beef" of all fiction. Harold Adams' book has small meat.The writing is tight, the history and scenic descriptions accurate and well-done, but everyone gets along. A stranger dies in the beginning, but no one is ever threatened again. The protagonist gets along with his wife, the local cops, the local residents, even the suspects. What's the point? There's no urgency. I only turned the pages out of curiosity to find out when something good might start happening. It didn't.Okay. I'm exaggerating. The book is not that bad. Give it three stars. Lovers of pure whodunits may give it four. But for me this was no Whopper. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

I was not only disappointed by this book, but irritated by the style of writing which seemed to be a combination of the poor sentence structure of a high school freshman to the dated expressions of a senior citizen. You gain little insight to the personality of the main character or his bride. The plot is too pat; town folk interviewed are oh so eager to talk about characters in suspicion, and the police are too relieved to hand the murder investigation over to complete strangers. The only saving grace are physical descriptions of the local area, and the beauty of the river area where the characters camp and canoe. Once I like a book and discover there are others in a series with the same character, I'm ready to read the rest. I will certainly pass on this one.

As a fan of the Carl Wilcox series and having read all the previous novels, the author has done his readership damage by marrying Carl off! Part of the glamor of this series has been the sort of sexiness of a well-meaning, intelligent bachelor who solves murders in very interesting and creative ways in an era before today's technology. Carl has shown his interest in women through out the series and that idea of romance draws the reader in. As a female, his allure as a bachelor detective took me in -- always wondering about whether there would be a conquest or not. For me, the best Harold Adams can do is write out Hazel, Carl's wife, in some calamity that Carl can deal with and solve!

Harold Adams has written a tremendous series of books about Depression era bum/detective Carl Wilcox. This is not his best, but if you love the series and like Wilcox, the book is fun to read.First time readers should start further back in the series. In this one there is no real "bad guy" to hate; Wilcox is married(!) and on his honeymoon.... this leaves setting and writing style as the major draws. They work for me, because I like the series, but would probably not sell a first time reader.

This is the first Harold Adams book that I've read. The mystery is set on the northern plains during the Great Depression. Carl Wilcox and his new bride are honeymooning when they hear a gunshot and scream. They stay and solve the mystery. I enjoyed the book a lot and recommend it as light summer reading. I plan to read some of his other books as well.